I have been working at City of New Haven, CT as an intern (More than a year)

Doesn't Recommend

Neutral Outlook

Doesn't Recommend

Neutral Outlook

Pros

The city is understaffed and there's definitely opportunity to do important work, but you have to be very diligent in seeking it out. I worked in two departments--in the first I was responsible for very real, tangible project and it was good to see that project implemented. The City also tends to be very flexible with student interns. My bosses understood if I needed to change my schedule at the last minute. A big plus is the union hours (35 hours per week with lunch). This means that most workers come in from 10-5 or 9-4 which leads to a relaxed environment. They also pay all interns which is hard to find these days.

Cons

Leadership really depends on the department--in the first department where I worked, the department head and my supervisor were helpful and accessible, if very busy. The second department I worked in was a mess--very little direction, little supervision, no substantial work given. I wondered what they were paying me for. In general, I think the city has a staff culture problem. No one was passionate about what they did--the dominant feeling is that people were simply there to collect a paycheck. This is true also for the interns. Occasionally, they will hire students who really care about government and their projects, but for the most part interns do menial tasks. Unless you push your boss to give you substantial projects, you won't get any. This may be a good place to work as a high schooler (they do hire high school interns), but as a college student interested in local government, I was not satisfied.

Advice to Management

Work on culture. Hire young people with fresh attitudes and perspectives. Be sure to set clear goals with employees and interns and follow up with these goals--some of the projects I unearthed hadn't been touched in five years.

I have been working at City of New Haven, CT part-time (More than 3 years)

Recommends

Neutral Outlook

Recommends

Neutral Outlook

Pros

I got to work with some of the nicest people. Most patrons are nice. Valuable experience.

Cons

No upward mobility, low paying job. Too many homeless patrons, technology is extremely outdated. You have to pay for parking even though you work for the city.

Advice to Management

Pay attention to the staff, consult all full time and part time staff when making major policy changes, Upgrade to todays technology, stop using stamps to checkout books. The library is stuck in the past, not thinking about the future.

Hundreds of full-time unionized employees have no retirement benefits (no pension and no match). State and federal grants pay to fund benefits that are not provided to the workers. Surplus grant funds are then used to fatten the City General Fund, keeping the mill rate artificially low (48% lower than Hartford). Decisions about who is covered by the pension plan are sometimes arbitrary. Some employees are misclassified as Special Fund employees and are denied retirement benefits, even though their positions are funded in the General Fund budget. The City reimburses itself for General Fund payroll through municipal bonds, and then treats the affected employees as if they were funded by grants. The unions collude with the City on these decisions, to the detriment of the workers. There are no career paths, no promotions, and no training or professional development. There are no employee performance reviews, and performance is not rewarded. If you speak out to correct injustice, you risk layoff.

Advice to Management

Provide good jobs with good benefits and opportunities for advancement. Provide the benefits that the grants pay you to provide. Perform an ethical self-assessment.

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